Method and apparatus for using crude oil as a motor fuel



Oct. 27, 1931. w, J TQRRANCE 1,829,074

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING CRUDE OIL AS A MOTOR FUEL Filed May 11 1925 [(14 fya /4%" A5 a sj/ ATTORNEYS.

I u v/ plants.

Patented 061.27, 1931 r I UNITED STATES PATENT ome a fwnmnnn JZTOBRANCE, oncmvnmnn, OHIO;

mm'non AND APPARATUS FOR Usme .ononn'oir. As A oron we; I

Application filed May 11,

This invention, as indicated, relates to a method and apparatus for using crude oil as a motor fuel. Crude oil of thecharacter produced in the Pennsylvania and Ohio fields 5' having a paraffine base has been used ingas engines of the Diesel type. The use of crude oil,lhowever, has been unsatisfactory in gas engines of the Otto type, which are in common use in. automobiles, boats and power Whenever kerosene or any of the heavier oils are to be used in such apparatus it has been found necessary to provide a priming device or high pressureapparatus and similar auxiliary devices'which have made it practically impossible to adapt such machines for the severe'requirements of present day service. This is true, even'though crude oil is mixed with gasoline, as there is a residue which tends to blockthe fuel supply line and excessive carbon deposit is produced in the engine."

Theprincipal object of the present invention is to obviate the difficulties referred to and to provide a' means and method of utilizing crude oil of tlie'characterreferredto as a direct motor fuel supply from the standard fuel tank. Other objects of the invention will appear in the course of the following description. 7

' The annexed drawings and the following description 'set forth in detail certain means and one mode of carrying out'the invention, such disclosed means and mode illustrating, however, but several of various-waysin which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partially in section, showing the filtering, mixing, and heating apparatus through which the fuel supply is carried fromthe tank to the carburetor of the engine;Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail sectional view taken longitudinally through one of the perforations in the baflle plate; Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are transverse sectional views taken through one ofthe perforations in the baffle plate showing respectively the use of one, two and three screens over the upper end of said perforation; Fig. '6 is a diagrammatic-view showing the manner of installing theapparatus upon a well may be mounted upon the muffler :3 or at -ratus at a point where the same maybe coniszs Serial m. 29,398. 7

known type of automobile;Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view: showing one of the holding clamps as applied to a muffler; and Fig. -8 is a similar-view showing the apparatus-in+ stalled directlyon the exhaust pipe.

As has been stated, kerosene andvarious heavy oils haveheretofore :been adopted as motor fuels in connection with priming and various othertypes of auxiliary apparatus.

The present invention, however, contemplates the placing of a supply of crude oil directly in the usual gasoline tank of the gas engine and using said. crude oil without any priming or other apparatus. It maybe found desirable, however, in the colder climates to 55 mix with the crude oil aproportionof gas.- oline or similar light oil which will serve. as paraifine solvent and maintainthe fuel supply in a freely liquid condition. It-has been found that a mixture of fifty per cent of gasoline and-crude oil will operate in avery satisfactory manner in winter temperatures ranging aboutthe freezing point. In warmer weather or in countries wherein afairly high temperature is usual, the amount of lighter hydrocarbon mixed with the crude oil maybe reduced or entirely dispensed with, as above stated.

In the apparatus shown in the drawings, the fuel is supplied in the usualmanner to so thetank 1, and in the installation illustrated is carried-by gravity to the filtering and mix ing'apparatus 2 which preferably is heated so that in additionto filtering, the fuelsupply may be prepared for rapid'subsequent vaporization. 1 f

As is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, the filtering and he ating'apparatus 2 some suitable place along the exhaust manifold or exhaustline of an automobile engine. Gonnection'is made at one end of the apparatus with the source of fuel supply 2'Iand at the other end with the carburetor {l of the .95 motor. The installation of. the apparatus requires merely the cutting ofthe usual gasoline supply line from the tank and insert- I ing therein the filtering and-heating appaveniently mounted adjacent the exhaust line from the engine.

The detailed construction of the filtering and heating apparatus is clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

As shown particularly in Fig. 1, the apparatus comprises primarily a cylindrical casing 5 having closed ends, 6, 7 and provided with an internal longitudinal partition plate 8 firmly engaged therein and forming a horizontal closure extending the entire length of the apparatus. The partition plate is provided with a series of apertures 9 of small diameter along a central line thereof, which apertures are covered by an in-. vert-ed channel member 10 formed of fine wire mesh or phosphor bronze cloth. The sideedges of the channel member are firmly secured to said plate by soldering or other suitable means and the ends thereof are brought down into firm contact with the plate and likewise soldered. The apertures through the partition plate; are preferably eonically shaped with the opening on the under side being .017 of an inch in diameter, and thence tapered upwardly to .007 ofv an inch. Approximately twenty apertures should be supplied in the plate and a gauze of very fine mesh should preferablybe used. It has been found that the best filtering effect is obtained when three spaced screens, 11, 12 and 13' of gauze (see Fig. 5), having interstices of .0055 of an inch, .0029 of an inch and .0018 of an inch, respectively, are employed with the screen having the finest mesh located above the others. Where but one gauze screen 14 (see Fig. 3) is utilized it is desirable to have it of the finer mesh, and where two spaced screens, 15, 16, (see Fig. 4) are utilized, the finer and intermediate meshes are found most satisfactory, but obviously changesmay. bev made in accordance with the particular character of crude oil which is to be employed in the motor.

The. plate divides the tubular casing horizontally into two compartments, 17,, 18, of approximately the same size the lower compartmentforming the receptacle into which the. residue of the filtration process is received and the upper compartment serving to receive the filtrate.

. The body of the casing comprises a tube of one and one-half inches in diameter and of a lengthsuitable to the purpose in hand. Thus the device, when applied to a small pleasure automobile need be but nine inches long, while when designed for a large truck or bus may be as much as eighten inches long. The end closures 6, 7 provided for each end of the easng comprise caps with screw-threaded flanges which abut against the ends of the tube'as well as the endsof the transverse partition plate. In each end cap there is provided a packed connection, 19, 20, which is located at approximately the center of the lower chamher at one end and the center of the upper chamber at the other end. The connection 19 with the lower chamber leads through the usual gasoline line 21 to the base of the gasoline tank 2, and the connection with the upper chamber leads through the remaining portion of the gasoline line 22 to the carburetor 4. The carburetor may be of the usual standard type supplied with standard makes of automobiles. The connection 20 as is shown in Fig. 1 is supplied with a conical screen 23 of fine gauze to serve as an exit guard to keep impuritites from entering the line to the. carburetor.

The filtering and heating apparatus is preferably positioned above the muffler and may be secured thereto by means of a pair of clamping bands 24, which extend about the muffler and are firmly held about the circumference of the casing.

If the muffler 3 is heavily insulated it would be more desirable to place the casing upon the exhaust pipe 25, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawing, or upon the exhaust manifold (not shown), or in some similar position where a high de ree of heat could be supplied to the same. ft is also intended to provide clamps of different spacing dimensions for use in summer or Winter, in order that a different adjustment of the filtering and heating ap-- paratus may be made in accordance with the season and to avoid the application of too great a'degree of heat to the apparatus.

The arrangement described would also serve to adjust the space in racing cars so that high temperature of the fuel might be assured. A short drain pi e 25, having a valve 27 is provided on the un er side of the casing in order to permit the ready removal of any residue which may accumulate on the under 7* side of the partition plate.

From the construction above explained it will be obvious that the gas engine will receive through the carburetor a supply of heated and readily vaporizable hydrocarbons and in addition thereto will receive a certain quantity of oil which will have a lubricating effect.

Other modes of applying the principle-of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the means and the steps herein disclosed, provided those stated by the following claim or its equivalents be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

An .apparatus for filtering and heating motor fuels comprising a cylindrical casing, a partition plate subdividing said casing horizontally throughout its entire length into 1 two compartments, a series of minute apertures formed along a central line of said partition plate, a plurality of screens of fine mesh secured above the. upper ends of said apertures, connections between the lower side Signed by me this 27th dayof April, 1925.

WILFRED J. TORRANCE. 

